


The Conversation

by neggsi



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Oneshot, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-09 04:56:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6891100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neggsi/pseuds/neggsi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garnet's still discovering herself. Ruby and Sapphire are still trying to understand their new situation. Rose just wants to know how.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Conversation

_I am their fury, I am their patience, I am a conversation_.

Fusion was never designed to be this. A ruby, red and battle ready at all times, was never supposed to fuse with an elite aristocrat. Even their colours seemed like polar opposites, fire dancing with ice never ended in happiness.

Yet, despite her existence breaking every rule the pair could think of, Garnet was real. Despite Homeworld forbidding more than a look between them, Ruby and Sapphire were performing one of the most intimate acts known to gemkind.

In total, the pair had fused twice. Once in front of other Homeworld gems, an accident that neither could bring themselves to regret, and the next within the lush greens of planet Earth, a private moment which was quickly cut short by an accidental fall into rebellion lines. It was an exciting feeling, being so close to someone that you shared their thoughts and most important secrets, but that excitement had come with great fear.

Rose Quartz seemed fascinated by them, intrigued by the collision of blue and pink that made them _her_. It was a preferred reaction to the shattering Blue Diamond would likely have ordered for them, but it still made them feel uneasy. Sure, Rose might have been okay with it, but the other gems within the rebellion? They weren’t so sure.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, fusion wasn’t mastered overnight. A conflict in ideas, aversion against joining the rebellion and excitement in defying Homeworld, pulled the pair apart too quickly.

“We can stay fused here, we can be Garnet for as long as we’d like!” Sapphire insisted, her voice wobbling slightly from shock of the sudden separation. Ruby looked heart broken, her little red fists clenched as she fought back a stream of tears. All Sapphire wanted to do was kiss them away.

“And what happens when the rebellion is defeated?!” Ruby shot back, her voice filled with a slight panic. As Garnet, she could see all the pathways that laid ahead of them. As Garnet, she could see the likelihood of both of them being shattered, separated forever. She just wanted to run away, be fused with Sapphire for the rest of eternity, hiding away in the lush environment of the world around them. “I don’t want to lose you!”

They were aware they were being watched. They were always watched by that Rose Quartz, as she seemed to study them with a kind of curiosity the pair had never experienced before. Of course, by her side was that Pearl, seemingly more relaxed by the separated pair arguing than by the whole, happy being they were together.

“Who said we were going to accept defeat?” Rose butted in, stepping towards the two gems in a confident stride. “Why not fight for your right to be her? To be together?”

At best, Ruby and Sapphire had known Rose Quartz for a few hours. Having her step into their little bubble almost felt like allowing her to step into their world, and together they suddenly felt just how incomplete they were without each other. Instinctively, Ruby stepped in front of Sapphire, holding an arm out protectively as if to stop the rebellion leader from hurting her other half.

“You expect us to just accept that and move on?” Ruby demanded, looking up at the taller gem with a fire in her eyes. As if answering her question, a small hand touched her arm, and the one-eyed sapphire leaned up to Ruby’s ear.

“We don’t have any other choice,” she reminded the gem, her voice soothingly sweet. Ruby visibly relaxed, her protective arm falling slightly as she failed to maintain her defensive composure.

A white gloved hand slid down the length of Ruby’s arm, fingers fitting in between each other in an instant as the tiny gem finally relented. The closeness wasn’t enough, but it would do for the moment. She could be happy just holding Sapphire’s hand.

“So… We can really stay fused if we stay here?” Ruby asked nervously, half expecting the rose quartz to simply laugh and deny them the one thing she desired the most.

“Of course!” Rose laughed, earning a concerned mumble from her pearl. “In fact, I want to know more about it. How do you… do it? With another gem, I mean.”

They may not have been sharing thoughts, but the pair of gems both found themselves thinking the same thing. _She wants a demonstration_.

“It’s… Well… It’s really no different to fusing with other rubies,” Ruby tried to explain.

“But there’s more emotion behind it,” Sapphire added, squeezing her lover’s hand. Really, there was no way to really describe it, and so Sapphire decided to simply demonstrate. She tugged Ruby towards her, pulling them into a waltz pose and simply taking a few steps.

This time, Ruby felt more sure of herself. Instead of simply following Sapphires composed, trained dance steps, she picked the gem up and spun her around, eliciting a laugh from both. Their laughter faded in a flash of light, until only one gem was left laughing.

Garnet.

She was more together this time, the pink and blue blotches were fading into each other, showing just how natural it felt for her to exist. Her whole existence was built on the bubbling love of two others, and the more Ruby and Sapphire got to know each other, the more whole Garnet felt.

Her laughter died out when she realised that the pearl standing beside Rose Quartz was gaping, her torso sticking out from behind the larger gem. Rose Quartz, however, seemed as if she had just reached an epiphany.

“So that’s the answer,” she mused, a delighted smile playing across her features.

“What’s the answer?” Garnet queried, her features scrunching up in a way that matched the ruby inside of her. Or maybe, it was the sapphire? She couldn’t tell, her thoughts were a mess of _we_ and _I_ , as she regained an idea of who she was again.

“How you’re able to fuse, of course,” Rose said in a gentle tone, that made Garnet instinctively feel safer. “The answer is _love_.”

 _Love, huh?_ Ruby thought.

 _We’re made of love,_ Sapphire thought back, causing a bubble of happiness to fill their stomach.

 _No, that’s not quite right_. The pair’s thoughts were quickly moulding into one, the voice of Garnet becoming more solid. _I am made of love. It’s me, but also we._

Yeah, they could live with that.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr! padparadschas-sapphire.tumblr.com


End file.
